U.S. patent number 8,662,294 [Application Number 12/945,502] was granted by the patent office on 2014-03-04 for multi-flavor flavoring system.
The grantee listed for this patent is Zack Benbassat. Invention is credited to Zack Benbassat.
United States Patent |
8,662,294 |
Benbassat |
March 4, 2014 |
Multi-flavor flavoring system
Abstract
A multi-flavor flavoring system is disclosed. The system
includes a flexible substrate having a first surface adapted to be
secured to a beverage bottle and at least one flavor packet secured
to a second surface of the substrate. The flavor packet of the
system includes a cylinder and a plunger within the cylinder. The
system may include a radial flange about an interior surface of the
cylinder and an annular groove about a periphery of the plunger.
The annular groove is adapted to engage the radial flange to bias
the plunger in a first position. Whereupon user movement of the
plunger permits the groove to move past the flange to bias the
plunger in a second position within the cylinder to pierce the side
wall of the beverage bottle to allow flavoring liquid of the flavor
packet to be in fluid communication with contents of the beverage
bottle.
Inventors: |
Benbassat; Zack (Orlando,
FL) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Benbassat; Zack |
Orlando |
FL |
US |
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|
Family
ID: |
40071440 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/945,502 |
Filed: |
November 12, 2010 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20110059208 A1 |
Mar 10, 2011 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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11753683 |
May 25, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/222;
215/227 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
81/3238 (20130101); B65D 81/3205 (20130101); Y10T
137/1714 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
81/32 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;206/219,222
;215/227,229 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Ackun; Jacob K
Attorney, Agent or Firm: McKinney Law, PLLC
Parent Case Text
I. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
11/753,683, filed May 25, 2007 now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A multi-flavor flavoring system, the system comprising: a
flexible substrate having a first surface configured into a ring to
fit around a beverage bottle; at least one flavor packet secured to
a second surface of the substrate, wherein the at least one flavor
packet further comprising: a cylinder; a plunger within the
cylinder biased in a first position, whereupon user movement of the
plunger permits the plunger to move from the first position to a
second position within the cylinder; and a piercing point secured
to the plunger and adapted to pierce a side wall of the beverage
bottle when the plunger is moved to the second position.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a radial flange about
an interior surface of the cylinder; and an annular groove about a
periphery of the plunger, wherein the annular groove is adapted to
engage the radial flange to bias the plunger in the first position,
whereupon user movement of the plunger permits the groove to move
past the flange to bias the plunger in the second position within
the cylinder to pierce the side wall of the beverage bottle.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: cylinder threads
about an interior surface of the cylinder; and plunger threads
about a periphery of the plunger, wherein the plunger threads are
adapted to engage the cylinder threads to bias the plunger in the
first position, whereupon user rotational movement of the plunger
permits the plunger to move to the second position within the
cylinder to pierce the side wall of the beverage bottle.
4. The system of claim 1, further comprising flavoring liquid
contained within the at least one flavor packet, wherein the
flavoring liquid is adapted to be in fluid communication with
contents of the beverage bottle upon piercing the side wall of the
beverage bottle with the piercing point.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein each flavor packet of the at
least one flavor packet contains a different type of flavoring
liquid identified by a corresponding different color.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate includes
an adhesive layer on the first surface and the adhesive adapted to
form a water-tight seal between the at least one flavor packet and
the side wall of the beverage bottle so that when the side wall is
pierced no liquid leaks from between the at least one flavor
packets and the bottle.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one flavor packet is
transparent so that a user can identify a type of flavoring liquid
by a corresponding color.
8. The system of claim 4, wherein the flavoring liquid of the at
least one flavor packet is at a higher pressure than atmospheric
pressure to facilitate disbursement of the flavoring liquid into
the bottle upon piercing the side wall of the bottle.
Description
II. FIELD
The present disclosure is generally related to flavored beverages,
and more specifically to a multi-flavor flavoring system for a
beverage bottle that allows a consumer to select a flavor for the
beverage prior to consumption.
III. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Supermarkets and convenience stores advertise and sell various
flavors of beverages. For example, orange, lemon, grape and cherry
flavored beverages may occupy shelf space. However, it is desirable
for a single generic unflavored beverage to have the ability of
being flavored by the consumer after purchase. Accordingly, a store
can supply a shelf with one type of unflavored beverage to save
shelf space from unwanted products and meet demand and increase
revenue.
There have been attempts to improve containers to allow flavor to
be added by the user. By way of example, note U.S. Pat. No.
5,310,564 to Kimm, that discloses a beverage container having
internal flavoring tubes. The tubes have perforations so that when
selective pressure is applied from outside of the container the
flavoring is released into the container. A shortcoming of this
prior art is that it is a costly and complex process to manufacture
the flavoring tubes within a container.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,735 to Carlson that
discloses a beverage container cap that contains liquid flavoring.
However, Carlson is not adaptable to contain several different
flavors for selection by a consumer.
Notwithstanding the existence of such prior art beverage
containers, there is a need for an improved multi-flavor flavoring
system and method that is capable of multi flavors and is adaptable
to retrofit existing containers and/or manufacturing equipment so
that it is inexpensive and relatively simple to implement.
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned
problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present
invention is directed.
However, in view of the prior art at the time the present invention
was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the
pertinent art how the identified needs could be fulfilled.
IV. SUMMARY
In a particular embodiment, a multi-flavor flavoring system for a
beverage bottle is disclosed. The system includes a flexible
substrate having a first surface adapted to be secured to a
beverage bottle and at least one flavor packet secured to a second
surface of the substrate. The flavor packet of the system also
includes a cylinder, a plunger within the cylinder biased in a
first position, whereupon user movement of the plunger permits the
plunger to move from the first position to a second position within
the cylinder, and a piercing point secured to the plunger is
adapted to pierce a side wall of the beverage bottle when the
plunger is moved to the second position.
In addition, the system may include a radial flange about an
interior surface of the cylinder, and an annular groove about a
periphery of the plunger, where the annular groove is adapted to
engage the radial flange to bias the plunger in the first position,
whereupon user movement of the plunger permits the groove to move
past the flange to bias the plunger in the second position within
the cylinder to pierce the side wall of the beverage bottle.
Alternatively, the system may include cylinder threads about an
interior surface of the cylinder, and plunger threads about a
periphery of the plunger, where the plunger threads are adapted to
engage the cylinder threads to bias the plunger in the first
position. Whereupon user rotational movement of the plunger permits
the plunger to move to the second position within the cylinder to
pierce the side wall of the beverage bottle.
Further, the system may include flavoring liquid contained within
the at least one flavor packet, where the flavoring liquid is
adapted to be in fluid communication with contents of the beverage
bottle upon piercing the side wall of the beverage bottle with the
piercing point. Each flavor packet of the at least one flavor
packet contains a different type of flavoring liquid identified by
a corresponding different color.
The flexible substrate of the system is adapted to be configured
into a ring to fit snugly around a beverage bottle. An adhesive
layer on the first surface of the substrate may be used to form a
water-tight seal between the at least one flavor packet and the
side wall of the beverage bottle so that when the side wall is
pierced no liquid leaks from between the at least one flavor
packets and the bottle.
The at least one flavor packet may transparent so that a user can
identify a type of flavoring liquid by a corresponding color. The
flavoring liquid of the at least one flavor packet may be at a
higher pressure than contents of the bottle to facilitate
disbursement of the flavoring liquid into the bottle upon piercing
the side wall of the bottle.
In another particular embodiment, a multi-flavor flavoring method
for a beverage bottle is disclosed. The method includes providing a
flexible substrate having a first surface adapted to secure the
substrate to a beverage bottle, securing at least one flavor packet
to a second surface of the substrate, providing the at least one
flavor packet with a plunger within a cylinder that is biased in a
first position, whereupon user movement of the plunger permits the
plunger to move from the first position to a second position within
the cylinder, and securing a piercing point to the plunger and
adapted to pierce a side wall of the beverage bottle when the
plunger is moved to the second position.
The method may also include providing a radial flange about an
interior surface of the cylinder, and providing an annular groove
about a periphery of the plunger, where the annular groove is
adapted to engage the radial flange to bias the plunger in the
first position, whereupon user movement of the plunger permits the
groove to move past the flange to bias the plunger in the second
position within the cylinder to pierce the side wall of the
beverage bottle. Alternatively, the method may include providing
cylinder threads about an interior surface of the cylinder, and
providing plunger threads about a periphery of the plunger, where
the plunger threads are adapted to engage the cylinder threads to
bias the plunger in the first position, whereupon user rotational
movement of the plunger permits the plunger to move to the second
position within the cylinder to pierce the side wall of the
beverage bottle.
Further, the method may include providing flavoring liquid within
the at least one flavor packet, where the flavoring liquid is
adapted to be in fluid communication with contents of the beverage
bottle upon piercing the side wall of the beverage bottle with the
piercing point. A different type of flavoring liquid packet may be
provided to each of the at least one flavor packet and identified
by a corresponding different color.
The flexible substrate of the method may be formed into a ring to
fit snugly around a beverage bottle. An adhesive layer may be
provided on the first surface of the flexible substrate, where the
adhesive is adapted to form a water-tight seal between the at least
one flavor packet and the side wall of the beverage bottle so that
when the side wall is pierced no liquid leaks from between the at
least one flavor packets and the bottle.
Other aspects, advantages, and features of the present disclosure
will become apparent after review of the entire application,
including the following sections: Brief Description of the
Drawings, Detailed Description, and the Claims.
V. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a particular illustrative
embodiment of a multi-flavor flavoring system installed on a
beverage bottle;
FIG. 2 is a top view of a particular illustrative embodiment of the
multi-flavor flavoring system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front view of another illustrative embodiment of the
multi-flavor flavoring system in a linear embodiment having
perforations;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a particular illustrative embodiment
of a flavor packet of the system;
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the flavor packet shown in FIG.
4 in a first position installed on a bottle;
FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the flavor packet shown in
FIGS. 4-5 in a second position piercing a side wall of the
bottle;
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of another particular illustrative
embodiment of a flavor packet of the system;
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the flavor packet shown in FIG.
7 in a first position installed on a bottle;
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the flavor packet shown in
FIGS. 7-8 in a second position piercing a side wall of the bottle;
and
FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 is a particular illustrative embodiment of a
method of manufacturing the system illustrated in FIGS. 1-9.
VI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A particular advantage provided by the embodiments of the
multi-flavor favoring system and method is the ability to
manufacture the system separately from the beverage bottle. The
system is not integrated to the bottle but can be used with any
plastic type bottle. Accordingly, the system can be used with any
existing beverage bottle without affecting the existing
manufacturing process of the bottle. Further, the system can be
sold separately to consumers and easily applied. The system can be
sold in a ring configuration to slide over a beverage bottle.
Alternatively, the system can be sold in strips or in a roll with
perforations allowing a consumer to form the correct length of the
system to apply to any beverage bottle of any diameter.
Referring now to FIG. 1, multi-flavor flavoring system is disclosed
and generally designated 100. A flexible substrate 102 includes a
first surface adapted to be secured to a beverage bottle 106. At
least one flavor packet 104 is secured to a second surface of the
substrate 102. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 is formed into a
ring and adapted to fit snugly around the beverage bottle 106. The
size of the ring (i.e., the diameter) helps to form a water-tight
seal between the system 100 and the bottle 106. Further, an
adhesive layer on a second surface of the substrate 102 may be used
to secure the system 100 to the bottle. The system 100 may also be
heat shrink wrapped to the bottle 106. FIG. 2 illustrates that in a
particular configuration of the system 100 that there are four
flavor packets 104 spaced around the substrate 102, although any
number can be used depending on the size of the substrate 102 and
flavor packets 104. In an alternative embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 3, the substrate 102 is linear and having perforations 202 to
enable a user to tear the substrate 102 to a desired length. The
substrate 102 may also be cut to any desired length. The flavor
packets 104 are spaced evenly on the substrate 102.
One embodiment of the flavor packets 104 of the system 100 is shown
in FIGS. 4-6 and generally designated 104A. FIG. 4 is an exploded
view of the flavor packet 104A. The flavor packet 104A may include
a cylinder 304 and a plunger 302 adapted to slide within the
cylinder 304. The plunger 302 may also include a piercing point
310. Referring now to FIG. 5, the plunger 302 is biased in a first
position, whereupon user movement of the plunger 302 permits the
plunger 302 to move from the first position to a second position
within the cylinder 304 as shown in FIG. 6. Flavoring liquid 310 is
stored in the flavoring packet 104A. The piercing point 310 is
secured to the plunger 302 and adapted to pierce a side wall of the
beverage bottle 106 when the plunger 302 is moved to the second
position. The flavor packet 104A may include a radial flange 306
about an interior surface of the cylinder 304, and an annular
groove 308 about a periphery of the plunger 302, where the annular
groove 308 is adapted to engage the radial flange 306 to bias the
plunger 302 in the first position, whereupon user movement of the
plunger 302 permits the groove 308 to move past the flange 306 to
bias the plunger 302 in the second position within the cylinder 304
to pierce the substrate 102 and side wall of the beverage bottle
106 as illustrated in FIG. 6. This releases the flavoring liquid
320 into the contents 322 of the bottle 106.
Another embodiment of the flavor packets 104 of the system 100 is
shown in FIGS. 7-9 and generally designated 104B. FIG. 7 is an
exploded view of the flavor packet 104B. In this embodiment of the
flavor packet 104B, the cylinder 404 may include cylinder threads
406 about an interior surface of the cylinder 404, and plunger
threads 408 about a periphery of the plunger 402, where the plunger
threads 408 are adapted to engage the cylinder threads 406 to bias
the plunger 402 in the first position. Whereupon user rotational
movement of the plunger 402 permits the plunger 402 to move to the
second position within the cylinder 404 to pierce the side wall of
the beverage bottle 106. A tab 403 of the plunger 402 may be used
to help the user rotate the plunger 402. Referring now to FIG. 8,
the plunger 402 is biased in a first position, whereupon user
rotational movement of the plunger 402 permits the plunger 402 to
move from the first position to a second position within the
cylinder 404 using the threading as shown in FIG. 8. Flavoring
liquid 410 is stored in the flavoring packet 104B. The piercing
point 410 is secured to the plunger 402 and adapted to pierce a
side wall of the beverage bottle 106 when the plunger 402 is moved
to the second position.
Referring now to FIG. 9, user rotational movement of the plunger
402 permits the plunger 402 to rotate and move towards the bottle
106 using the cylinder threads to bias the plunger 402 in the
second position within the cylinder 404 to pierce the substrate 102
and side wall of the beverage bottle 106 as illustrated in FIG. 9.
This releases the flavoring liquid 320 into the contents 322 of the
bottle 106. Each flavor packet 104 of the system 100 may contain a
different type of flavoring liquid 320 identified by a
corresponding different color.
The flexible substrate 102 of the system 100 is adapted to be
configured into a ring to fit snugly around a beverage bottle 106.
An adhesive layer on the first surface of the substrate 102 may be
used to form a water-tight seal between the at least one flavor
packet 104 and the side wall of the beverage bottle 106 so that
when the side wall is pierced no liquid leaks from between the at
least one flavor packets 104 and the bottle 106.
The flavor packet 104 may be transparent so that a user can
identify a type of flavoring liquid 320 by a corresponding color.
The flavoring liquid 320 of the flavor packet 104 may be at a
higher pressure than contents 322 of the bottle 106 to facilitate
disbursement of the flavoring liquid 320 into the bottle 106 upon
piercing the side wall of the bottle 106.
Referring now to FIG. 10, a method of manufacturing the system is
disclosed. For example, a flavor packet 104 is provided using a
first conveyor, at 504. The flavor packet 104 is filled with
flavoring liquid, at 506. A substrate 508 is provided to seal the
flavor packet 104, at 514. Application of heat or UV rays is used
to further seal the flavor packet, at 516. A conveyor 510 continues
to move the sealed flavor packets 104 to another station, at 520,
where an adhesive layer 518 may be applied to a first surface of
the substrate 508, to form the system illustrated in FIG. 11. The
system 100 can now be formed into a ring and adapted to fit snugly
around the beverage bottle 106. As explained above, an adhesive
layer 518 on a second surface of the substrate 508 may be used to
secure the system to the bottle. The system 100 may also be heat
shrink wrapped to the bottle 106.
A multi-flavor flavoring method for a beverage bottle is disclosed.
The method includes providing a flexible substrate 102 having a
first surface adapted to secure the substrate 102 to a beverage
bottle 106, securing at least one flavor packet 104 to a second
surface of the substrate 102, providing the at least one flavor
packet 104 with a plunger 302, 402 within a cylinder 304, 404 that
is biased in a first position, whereupon user movement of the
plunger 302, 402 permits the plunger 302, 402 to move from the
first position to a second position within the cylinder 304, 404,
and securing a piercing point 310 to the plunger 302, 402 and
adapted to pierce a side wall of the beverage bottle 106 when the
plunger 302, 402 is moved to the second position.
The method may also include providing a radial flange 306 about an
interior surface of the cylinder 304, and providing an annular
groove 308 about a periphery of the plunger 302, where the annular
groove 308 is adapted to engage the radial flange 306 to bias the
plunger 302 in the first position, whereupon user movement of the
plunger 302 permits the groove 308 to move past the flange 306 to
bias the plunger 302 in the second position within the cylinder 304
to pierce the side wall of the beverage bottle 106. Alternatively,
the method may include providing cylinder threads 406 about an
interior surface of the cylinder 404, and providing plunger threads
408 about a periphery of the plunger 402, where the plunger threads
408 are adapted to engage the cylinder threads 406 to bias the
plunger 402 in the first position, whereupon user rotational
movement of the plunger 402 permits the plunger 402 to move to the
second position within the cylinder 404 to pierce the side wall of
the beverage bottle 106.
Further, the method may include providing flavoring liquid 320
within the at least one flavor packet 104, where the flavoring
liquid 320 is adapted to be in fluid communication with contents
322 of the beverage bottle 106 upon piercing the side wall of the
beverage bottle 106 with the piercing point 310. A different type
of flavoring liquid 320, 420 may be provided to each flavor packet
104 and identified by a corresponding different color.
The flexible substrate 102 of the method may be formed into a ring
to fit snugly around a beverage bottle 106. An adhesive layer 518
may be provided on the first surface of the flexible substrate 102,
where the adhesive 518 is adapted to form a water-tight seal
between the at least one flavor packet 104 and the side wall of the
beverage bottle 106 so that when the side wall is pierced no liquid
leaks from between the flavor packets 104 and the bottle 106.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided
to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the
disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments
will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the
principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments
without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the
present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments
shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope possible
consistent with the principles and novel features as defined by the
following claims.
* * * * *